McLeod to develop Waikato skills
Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:36
The Waikato Rugby Union (WRU) has appointed former All Blacks centre Scott McLeod as the new Skills coach for the Air New Zealand (ANZ) Cup team.
While the ANZ Cup will be his main priority, McLoed's mandate will also include honing the skills of the province's rising stars during the course of the year.
One of Hamilton's first tasks at the WRU will be to develop and implement a skills programme for the Waikato Rugby Academy and the Union's High Performance teams, before he takes charge of the Waikato backline.
However, McLeod, who is still plying his trade in Japan, will return to Hamilton only in April when his current season with Toshiba comes to an end.
Waikato ANZ Cup coach Tony Hanks is pleased with the news of McLeod's appointment.
"Scott's appointment is a positive step for the future of rugby in our province. He is extremely passionate about Waikato Rugby," said Hanks.
"He has as endless enthusiasm for the game and brings a wealth of rugby experience with him," added Hanks.
McLeod has enjoyed an extensive rugby career most recently playing more than 70 games for Toshiba - winning the Japan Top League, Microsoft Cup and All Japan Championship three times each. He was also selected in the Top League Best XV for the past three seasons.
The talented midfielder played seven Tests for the All Blacks, 44 Super Rugby matches for the Chiefs and 69 games for Waikato.
